The Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) specification describes a standard for operating system (OS) control of devices and peripherals that are installed in a data processing system. For example, it specifies hot swapping and hot insertion of Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) devices within the data processing system. That is, a PCI device can be swapped or inserted while the data processing system is powered and functioning.
An example of hot insertion of a PCI device into an empty PCI slot in a data processing system is carried out as follows. Firstly, the system is informed that a device is to be inserted into a particular empty PCI slot in the data processing system. For example, a system administrator may provide commands to the data processing system that a hot insertion is about to occur. The operating system of the data processing system causes the data processing system to stop supplying power to the empty PCI slot into which the device is to be inserted. The PCI device is then physically inserted into the PCI slot. The operating system is then informed that the device has been inserted. The data processing system then resumes power to the PCI slot, performs device configuration and loads an appropriate device driver (if any) for controlling the device.
A hot swap of a PCI device is similar to a hot insertion, except that once the PCI slot is powered down, an existing PCI device is removed and replaced with another PCI device. A driver associated with the PCI device being removed may also be unloaded.
The latest ACPI specification, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes, is available from, for example, http://www.acpi.info/spec.htm. The current latest specification revision is 3.0b. The latest PCI specification is also incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. PCI specifications can be obtained from, for example, http://www.pcisig.com/specifications/. For example, the conventional PCI specification version 3.0 is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
It is an object of embodiments of the invention to at least mitigate one or more of the problems of the prior art.